LUCKNOW: Chambal, once considered as a safe haven for dacoits and criminals, is all set to assume a new tag. If all goes well as per the plans of the Uttar Pradesh government, then the region may become a major hub of wildlife tourism, which will have everything including river cruising and river safari.
The state government has made Uttar Pradesh Awas Vikas Parishad the executing agency for development of the sanctuary, while sanctioning Rs 4.5 crore for its makeover. Being home to the last of the gharials, along with eight rare species of turtles and Gangetic dolphins, the sanctuary never got its due share of recognition.
Sujoy Banerjee, DFO, National Chambal Sanctuary said,"The project is to be completed within four years. A proposal to start boat rides at Nadganwa has been submitted to the chief wildlife warden" . Nadganwa, which is about 70 kilometres from Agra, offers a glimpse into Chambal's magnificent wildlife. Though boat rides at Nandganwa would be costly, officials are of the opinion that expensive ticket would bring only genuine bird-watchers to the place. The proposal has fixed Rs 750 as ticket price for foreigners for an hour-long boat ride, while for domestic tourists, it has been fixed at Rs 200. Besides, the cost of petrol which would go into running the boat would also have to be realized from the visitors.
Initially, the department would put to use only the boats meant for patrolling the area as they want to bring in lesser number of tourists and the ones who are actually interested in wildlife, as that will not disturb the ambience and the wildlife habitat.
The 425 kilometre stretch of Chambal river was declared a protected area in 1979. The river culminates at Bhare in Etawah, where is merges with the Yamuna. The sanctuary area runs along three states of UP, MP and Rajasthan. UP has 150-kilometre-long stretch of the river sanctuary running along Bah (Agra) and Etawah.
Interestingly, the sanctuary is approximately 77 kilometres away from the Taj Mahal. The plan is to attract the Taj-bound tourists to Chambal sanctuary, by offering river cruise and river safari. And, to do so forest department has identified spots along the river, which can be developed as tourism sites. These include four ghats of Sehson, Udi, Panchnada and Bhare, along Chambal, a forest official said.
Etawah already has a Lion Safari coming up, which will hardly be an hour-long drive from Agra. Developing Chambal sanctuary will build a tourism corridor between Agra and Etawah. The government is of the opinion that this will not only supplement the incomes of those associated with tourism industry, but also create additional employment opportunities for ancillary units.
The major advantage, which the sanctuary enjoys is its serene ambience, despite the fact that it's close to Agra. It has no industries along its banks and that makes it one of the cleanest rivers. Among the major wildlife attractions are ghariyals, which are critically endangered. Apart from 200-250 ghariyals found in Nepal, most of the remaining 1,500 are found in three Indian rivers - Son, Geruwa and Chambal. The Chambal sanctuary shelters close to 700. "This year around, since the monsoon was delayed, the new hatchlings haven't been washed away, and one can see them along the river," said the DFO.
Besides, eight of the rare turtle species, including the red crowned roof turtle, and critically threatened gangetic dolphins are found in the sanctuary area. The sanctuary is also one of the important bird areas and a proposed Ramsar site (identified as an important wetland for conservation). It's a famous spot for sighting birds like Indian Skimmers.
Two bird sanctuaries, Patna in Etah district and Saman in Mainpuri, are located very close to the sanctuary. The region has also the maximum population of Sarus crane and has hundreds of migratory birds visiting it in the winter season.
